Social care to define Boris Johnson (and son) – The Yorkshire Post says

Yet, as the PM and his partner adjust to their new duties, and we share their joy, they do so at a time of heartbreak over coronavirus.

And this is because the scale of deaths in care homes, hospices and local communities is only now becoming clear – and in addition to the 20,000 hospital patients who have already succumbed to this awful virus.

When this is taken into account, the death toll is now 26,097 and open to extrapolation because there’s been such little consistency in the recording of deaths, another shameful oversight.

It is even more haunting because the revised number confirms what this newspaper – and many others – have long suspected throughout this unfolding human tragedy.

It reaffirms the extent to which this Government, like its predecessors, has neglected social care. Not only has there been little, if any, progress on promised reforms, but care homes were at the back of the queue when it came to the planning for Covid-19 and availability of PPE personal protective equipment.

Even now the Government is still playing catch-up – Mr Johnson’s deputy Dominic Raab was very uncomfortable when questioned in the Commons – as Britain’s death rate threatens to become the worst in Europe.

And while the priority is making sure all care providers have the support to match that being made available to hospitals, a joined-up national health and care service has never been more urgent.

On a defining day for Mr Johnson for both personal and political reasons, let’s hope the PM’s new son does belong to a generation that is the first to be assured of world class social care from cradle to grave. It would also be some gift for Downing Street’s new arrival.

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

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James Mitchinson

Editor